Baby Car Seat Manufacturer Graco Will Pay Settlement

Car seat manufacturer and baby product maker Graco Children’s Products Inc. will settle charges that it belatedly reported problems with car seats, high chairs, strollers and other products that resulted in hundreds of injuries and at least six deaths by paying $4 million dollars.

Graco has also issued a recall on Toddler Beds they sold from 1994 to 2001.

Reports say car seat maker Graco and its subsidiary, Century Products, did not report defects in 16 different products. The products — more than 12 million in all — included car seats, infant carriers, high chairs, strollers, swings and beds.

Six deaths were linked to Graco Infant Swings. Recently, 140,000 Graco Travel Lite Infant Swings were recalled in July after the company received 100 reports of children slipping out of faulty seat belts and sustaining injuries such as bloody lips, bumps and bruises.

Baby Products Like Portable Cribs Lack Safety Testing

Reports say only a handful of children's products, including full-size cribs, car seats, pacifiers and rattles, are covered by mandatory safety standards.The Consumer Product Safety Commission governs recall processes but there are worries about their effectiveness.
Apparently many baby products reach the consumer market with little or no testing.
Experts suggest if you have young children, be especially careful of used items from friends and family and items you find at flea markets or garage sales. A lot of Older cribs have bars that are spaced too widely. You should also look out for wear and tear, especially on items in which you may leave a child unattended. In October, Dorel Juvenile Group recalled 102,000 Cosco Zip n Go, Okie Dokie, and Carters playpens after a child's death.

A safe bet is to use portable cribs & playpens that do not have a hinged rail. Fisher-Price is a good choice as they have never made a portable crib with a hinged rail.

Baby Strollers and Baby Joggers - New "Dad Fad"

Several news sources are saying that fancy baby strollers and souped up baby joggers are the new fad among Dads.

The Bob Trailer Sport Utility Ironman is actually a baby stroller (though the name and marketing makes you think of an SUV). The Ironman Triathlon has licensed the baby buggy as its first official baby stroller. The manufacturer, BOB Trailers Inc., says it has been a big draw among men.

It seems that anything with wheels is attractive to men - the baby stroller included. A new generation of strollers and baby joggers now come highly engineered with sleek designs and colors suited more to adults than babies. Dads have been found to compare notes about wheel suspension and off-road handling.

A New York lawyer, age 33, says his child rides in a Pliko P3, made by Italian stroller-maker Peg Perego. He loves the new models of baby jogging strollers - not because he jogs but because "they just look so great." He admires his neighbors' Bugaboo Frog baby stroller, often called "the Hummer of strollers" because of its shape and big wheels.

Another 33 year old father in California recalls running into Bugaboo baby stroller pushing guys while his wife was pregant - he'd ask if they liked their strollers and they would "light up" like when they used to talk about mountain bikes. He chose a black one for his child.

Makers of all types of baby products are now going after the hip-Daddy market. JJ Cole makes a khaki "Adventure" baby carrier and Due Maternity now has a "Dads" section on its Web site - resulting in a huge spike in traffic. Diaperdude sells diaper bags in messenger style camouflage or black with electric-guitar and dragon motifs.

According to industry experts Baby Strollers and Baby Joggers have seen the biggest change in the baby products market, with all the new baby strollers having struts and shocks and big wheels making some of them look more like mountain bikes than baby strollers. The Stokke Xplory baby stroller, a Norwegian model with a higher than average seat has an adjustable handle-bar which is supposed to work great for tall guys.

Baby strollers can cost as little as $10, but many of the new high end models sell for over $300. Models like the Stokke baby stroller and Bugaboo baby stroller are more than $700. Middle-market baby stroller makers like Evenflo are trying to mimic the high end market. Evenflo has just introduced the Ellipsa baby stroller which has chunkier wheels than its previous models.